Jazz: America’s Gift

Jazz: America's Gift: From Its Birth to George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue & Beyond is the perfect marriage between Miguel Covarrubias's artwork and the colorful history of the Jazz Age. The interplay of Gerber's words and Covarrubias's images gives each page a rhythm all its own. . . . Who could ask for anything more?

Bird’s Eye View into the Birth of Jazz

"[Gerber] unearths some interesting facts, such as shared cultural experiences of African-Americans and Jews: he notes that African-American singers such as Billie Holliday and Alberta Hunter recorded Jewish songs, and that Louis Armstrong so admired Jewish people that he wore a Star of David around his neck."—Kirkus Reviews (recommended review)

"[Gerber] makes a strong, enthusiastic case for Gershwin’s contributions to jazz, something that many jazz historians, according to the author, don’t often acknowledge ("As far as George Gershwin goes—jazz can’t live with him and jazz can’t live without him!")."—Kirkus Reviews (recommended review)

Artist and legendary illustrator Miguel Covarrubias can arguably be called the chronicler of "The Jazz Age." By 23 he was the toast of NYC. As a caricaturist, he had a special talent for penetrating and capturing the essence of a celebrity, earning him the nickname of "The Murderer." Read more

Unless you’ve been holed up on the Applachian Trail for the past week you could not have missed the biggest business news story since the invention of sliced bread. Last Friday the King Kong of online retail, Amazon announced it will be buying the Godzilla of Natural and Organic foods, Whole Foods Markets for 13.7 billion in cash. To put 13.7 billion into perspective, it’s like stacking every American’s Whole Paycheck on top of each other. This stack of Whole Paychecks would reach the Singularity, Jeff Bezos’ Amazon Prime!

Whole Foods Wanted to Be More Than a Supermarket, and Therein Lies the Problem

The Wall Street Journal article about the Natural and Organic Supermarket behemoth, Whole Foods who bought my Bread of Life Natural Foods Markets back in 1997, includes a quote from me. Continue Reading

I’m dreaming of a white . . . Hanukkah? No, that’s not how the most popular song ever written goes. Thanks to a Russian Jewish immigrant, we’re all dreaming of a white Christmas. So why was this Yiddish-speaking fellow not dreaming of a light Hanukkah instead?

Irving Berlin—the man we have to thank for the nostalgic sentiment and imagery invoked by this beloved song—came to the United States as a child before the turn of the 20th century. He went on to become one of the most prolific composers of his time, writing close to a thousand songs and memorable hits that became a centerpiece of our American culture. Catchy songs like “Blue Skies” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business” are tunes that most of us can belt out for at least a line or two. And “God Bless America,” who doesn’t know that one?

Richie Gerber has had many careers—musician, comedian, organic food businessman, radio host—and now he can add author to the list.

After he self-published Jazz: America’s Gift, Publishers Weekly said the historical survey “scores points with [its] bold commentary about the complicated political and cultural relationships between Jewish and black communities with regard to jazz…Gerber’s deft, energetic examination…only illuminates the enormous Jewish contribution to the great American musical export, jazz.”

T-Shirt Jazz America’s Gift

“[H]istoric facts and figures about jazz with a fairly complete survey of its origins in slave songs, spirituals, minstrel shows, and Storyville flesh dens, as well as a chronicle of the rise of New Orleans trumpeter Louis Armstrong.” —Publishers Weekly (BookLife)

"It’s interesting to learn that Gershwin’s folk opera, Porgy and Bess, was initially a financial failure, and Gerber also delves into other aspects of Gershwin’s life, including his dietary habits, his relationships with women, and his love for fine art" --
Kirkus Reviews (recommended review)